Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes!

Now that I've made one cupcake recipe, I'm feeling the urge to make more! Something is so exciting about the miniature and delicious little cakes they are! These may not officially qualify as cupcakes since they don't have frosting, but they are such a moist, chocolaty cake that I don't really think you'll mind. ;-)

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

(Originally from My Baking Addiction)

Yields 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
3. Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Happy Baking!

Jessica

Happy Bastille Day!

Here: have another challah :-)

I used one of the frozen lumps of dough I made this weekend and defrosted it overnight. The next morning, I got up at 6:30!! to braid the challah and let it rise for an hour and 20 minutes, and went back to bed!

I got up an hour later and popped the challah in the oven while I got ready for work and it was ready just in time for me to leave! I made sure to grab myself a nice chunk before heading out the door because I knew that my brother would devour it all if left to his own devices and when I came home later, sure enough there was only a little tiny piece left over. :)

Happy Baking!

Jessica

Plum-Almond Tart for a special someone :)

So, I cheated a little bit and made a recipe I came to know and love already. But hear me out, we had our good friend Piper over for dinner and I KNOW she loves plums, so what could I do? Hold out on her and keep this recipe all to myself? Come on, you know me better than that! ;-)

So, here, have some pictures.

But, I just discovered a new website that I definitely intend on becoming a regular for: http://foodporndaily.com/pictures/light-crisp-chewy-cardamom-macarons-with-tangy-lemon-buttercream/

Good god, don't they look a-MAZING?!

Yep, I thought so. :)

Happy Baking!

Jessica

Oh Guittard... :)

Today was a chocolate day. Sometimes it's a fruit day, but not today. ;-) So I splurged and picked up some quality Guittard chocolate chips, and made the recipe for Molten Chocolate Cookies I found on the back of the package. :) Simple, and yet I know they will make my chocolate-loving brother and dad very happy. Gooey and chewy and OH SO chocolatey, give these babies a try!

Molten Chocolate Cookies

(adapted from Guittard)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  

Directions:

1. Melt chips and butter. In microwave melt for 1 minute then stir, then 30 seconds and stir again, and 30 seconds more and stir (should be smooth but thick) and set aside to let cool.
2. In another bowl, whisk together egg, sugar and vanilla until pale yellow and slightly thickened. Mix in chocolate. Stop and scrape bowl. Add baking powder and flour until just incorporated, stop and scrape bowl once. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
4. Scoop eight 2-inch mounds onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 12 minutes or until crusty on the outside but soft in the center. Cool on cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes. Best when served warm.

***If you eat them later, microwave on high for about 10 seconds per cookie, to enjoy the soft chewiness :)***

Happy Baking!

Jessica

Apricot Galette

:-) I am loving this Galette! Since I already had the dough made from Friday's Nectarine Galette I used the leftover with apricots to make a delicious Sunday night dessert to begin the new week on a good note. Have some pictures!

Happy Baking!

Jessica